


Storms and Peace

by rawkfemme



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, Goats are cute, Janeway being Janeway, New Earth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 22:52:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12118965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rawkfemme/pseuds/rawkfemme
Summary: Kathryn to the rescue!This is a fic-iversary giveaway winner for the delightful M_Class.





	Storms and Peace

**Author's Note:**

  * For [m_class](https://archiveofourown.org/users/m_class/gifts).



> The challenge that I gave myself was to fulfill the winner's prompt as best I could, while staying within the exact word count (826 for this story). I hope I did that.

 

When she first heard the distressed squirrel-like cries, Kathryn Janeway had pictured a much smaller animal needing rescue.  Grabbing a wrist beacon to combat the setting sun, Kathryn followed the anxious chirps. A cool wind blew, causing her pale blue skirt to dance around her calves and the loose tendrils of her hair to whip gently against her face. Crossing towards the river and the sounds, Kathryn scanned the ground with the beacon.  The long foliage hid uneven terrain, causing her steps to falter. Undeterred, she followed the pleading cries. 

Suddenly, before her emerged a slim, gently angled sinkhole. Kathryn had to stop short to prevent stumbling in.  Bringing the beacon’s light into the opening, she saw the wide worried eyes of a creature in need. It appeared to be about the size and temperament of a goat and its mottled beard lent even more fully to the comparison. But as soon as it opened its mouth and let out the angry chirping calls she’d been following, Kathryn knew this animal was not of Earth, but here on New Earth.

As she knelt on the ground to get a closer view, Kathryn could feel the patter of raindrops falling. The shower quickly broke into a deluge as Kathryn used her tricorder to scan the animal for injuries. It thankfully appeared to be unharmed.  That relief was short lived, as the narrow aperture that the goat was caught in started to crumble in under the stress of desperately scraping hooves.  As the animal’s agitation reached a fever pitch, Kathryn noticed that the sinkhole appeared to be filling with water.  The nearby surging river was causing the ground to saturate. If she was going to save this animal, she had better do it now. 

The modest transporter they had would never be able to get a lock in the storm. Kathryn rose and hurried to the shelter for rope. When she returned, the water had almost reached the goat’s mid back. Kathryn tied one end of the rope into a wide slipknot. The other she tied to a nearby tree, to prevent the entire length from being pulled into the hole if she lost her grip. Reaching into the opening, she lasso’d the rope around the animal, and hoped that it would be able to get its feet under it to climb out, instead of snapping its neck. 

Hand over hand, she pulled. Lightly at first, to gauge the goat’s willingness to cooperate. Its small hooved feet struggled to find purchase in the slick ground. Soon water began to pour directly from the swelling river into the hole, causing both Kathryn and the goat to lose their footing. On her belly, Kathryn crawled. The goat was almost high enough where she could reach it and pull it to safety.   Grabbing a handful of the coarse fur, she pulled for all she was worth.  The goat scrambled up and over her, knocking a hoof into Kathryn’s face as it went. Both parties laid on the ground; exhausted, soaked, filthy, and beaten. The storm departed as quickly as it came, and as she sat up Kathryn could see the beam of a beacon bouncing through the trees.

Chakotay ran up to her, his face tight with worry.  He took in the scene; Kathryn and the goat on the ground and the sinkhole flooded to the brim.  In an instant, Kathryn was bundled up and tossed over Chakotay’s shoulder and the goat was tucked under his other arm.  He carried them back to the house and after leaving the goat tied safely to the fence outside, Chakotay bounded Kathryn inside and dropped her indelicately on her bed.  

“Chakotay!” Kathryn exclaimed. “I know I’m going to get a lecture about putting myself in harms way, but…”

She wasn’t allow to finish the thought, as Chakotay pulled her into his arms and dropped kiss after kiss on her face and lips. Kathryn was too surprised to rebuke the unexpected gesture, but between kisses, Chakotay managed to explain.

“Of all the…(kiss)...risky…(kiss)...self-sacrificing…(kiss)...things you’ve done…(kiss)...this was the kindest…(kiss)...most selfless…(kiss)...most generous…(kiss)...and it reminds me why I fell in love with you.” His eyes now met hers and burned with an intensity that Kathryn had long thought she’d live without. 

Kathryn was struck silent.  Gone were the thinly veiled proclamations.  This was real now. Her heartbeat grew faster as she processed the gravity of his declaration. Hearing those words changed everything. She realized that his strength, patience, and love, were everything that she wanted; that  _ he  _ was everything she wanted.  She wrapped her sopping wet arms around his neck, she pulled him down to her.

“Your woman warrior has found peace, in you. And  _ you  _ are the only tribe she needs. I love you, Chakotay.”  With that she lifted her lips to his, in a kiss that held promise, hope, and above all, love.   

 


End file.
